Trends Report

As IaaS Cloud Adoption Goes Global, Tech Vendors Must Address Local Concerns

Infrastructure-As-A-Service Clouds Are Local, And So Are Their Implications

January 15th, 2010
Jennifer Belissent, PhD, null
Jennifer Belissent, PhD
With contributors:
James Staten , Peter Burris , Madiha Ashour , Onica King , Zachary Reiss-Davis

Summary

Despite the buzz about cloud computing, global adoption rates for infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) remain anemic. However, a look at regional differences in adoption and local concerns reveals that security and privacy are often top of mind as potential customers weigh the advantages and risks of moving their applications — and consequently their data — into the cloud. Concerns about security and privacy are often attributed to regulatory restrictions. How valid is that claim? Where exactly is the cloud, and how will it be subject to local legal and regulatory regimes? Local data protection requirements do have implications for cloud computing. But requirements are not always as onerous as claimed. Tech marketers must understand the implications of location, both for their own strategic decisions and to help educate potential customers as they inform their own decisions to move into the cloud, or not.

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